National PTSD Awareness Month
What is PTSD
June is National PTSD awareness month. PTSD stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder which develops after a traumatic event occurs in someone’s life. This could be from fighting in a war, abuse, car accidents, and many other ways. Symptoms of PTSD include anxiety, depression, insomnia, night terrors, and more. Some people recover within a few weeks or months but for others, it can take years and professional help is needed. This disorder is treatable, however, not many people choose to seek help because they either are not educated on the subject, or they do not believe in it. Some people grew up in a home where attending therapy was not normalized. This makes it harder for that person to recover and causes them more suffering. Seeking help can diminish your symptoms or entirely cure them all together. People who get treatment have been known to improve their quality of life. According to the U.S Department of veteran affairs, treatment can help you make sense of traumatic events, learn skills to better handle negative thoughts and feelings, reconnect with people you care about, and set goals for activities, like work or school, that you can handle. PTSD is not a visual illness causing it to go unnoticed by peers. The best way to help someone with PTSD is to listen and make them feel safe. The National Center for PTSD says that about 12 million adults in the U.S. have PTSD during a given year. Women are twice as likely to experience PTSD in their life than men.
PTSD & Car Accidents
A lot of people suffer from PTSD after a car accident. Depending on how bad the accident is, the worse the symptoms can be. People who suffer from PTSD after a car accident may struggle to get into a vehicle and have a lot of anxiety about driving. Dealing with PTSD while trying to recover from injuries from the accident will use up more of your energy causing you to feel drained. Some people, after an accident with very serious injuries, struggle with suicidal thoughts. Especially if the person struggling caused the accident, they may need professional help. Confiding in a loved one that you need help is the best way to deal with these thoughts.
PTSD Treatment Options
-Cognitive Progressing Therapy targets negative thoughts and turns them into positive thoughts. The therapist works with the individual to target their specific thoughts and fix them. By doing this eventually they will be able to change their emotions about the accident.
-Prolonged Exposure Therapy is when the therapist works with the victim to deal with their emotions surrounding the situation in a controlled way. This makes it easier for the victim to deal with post-accident. The therapist also works with them to change their perception of what happened to look at the positive rather than the negative.
-Medication can help stabilize many of the symptoms of PTSD. It can help with anxiety, depression, sleep, and handle thoughts of the accident better. Over time when ready, the victims can stop taking medication or reduce the amount they are taking.
-Animal Therapy has been very helpful for patients with PTSD. A lot of patients have service dogs that help them cope. The dogs are trained to recognize when a flashback occurs or if they are in a bad situation. The dog can also help them deal with depression by giving them things to do throughout the day like go on walks, feed them, and more.
What Can We Do To Help?
If you or a loved one has been in a car accident, contact The Law Offices of Rudolph F.X. Migliore, P.C., for a free legal consultation. Call 631-543-3663 or visit our website migliorelaw.com. We are located at 353 Veteran’s Memorial Highway, Suite 200, Commack, NY 11725.